Like most schools, my high school has at least some students who are a part of certain minorities. One of these minorities-and possibly the most controversial- is the LGBT community.

Although the treatment of LGBT youth has gotten considerably better over the last decade or so, it seems as if there are still certain things that could be improved within the halls, and society’s mindset on what it’s like to be gay. Peering inside the minds of some local LGBT youth, opinions and experiences were shared on just how stereotypical treatment can be when it comes to these human beings.

According to freshman Jacob, sometimes homosexuals can be treated as “accessories” by their peers. “They try to be understanding, but really they’re only making it worse,” said Jacob.Jacob said that he is not the only one who feels that way; a lot of his friends who are either homosexual or bisexual agree with his statement.
Another complaint that these students have is that they often feel ostracized by their peers. “I don’t know if they mean to do it,” said sophomore Ellen, “But as soon as they find out, they start acting as if we have some sort of a disease.” This complaint seems to be one of the most common among LGBT youth-many have admitted to the same feeling of isolation from their peers as Ellen says she feels; junior Sean says that male students often avoid him because they are afraid of being “hit on.”

However, according to Jacob this kind of lack of acceptance and understanding is not restricted to peers. “When my dad found out I was gay, he told me that I was evil and that I was going to burn in hell.” Jacob went on to describe how horrible it made him feel and how his relationship with his parents- especially his father-hasn’t been the same since. “It’s seems like all we ever do anymore is fight,” said Jacob; however, most of his friends have been very accepting.

Jacob is not the only one who feels like he can’t be himself around his family. Ellen said that although she has told her friends that she is bisexual, she is afraid to tell her parents. “I’m not really all that afraid about them accepting me, I just don’t think they’ll understand.” Ellen twin sister is the only member of her family who knows about Ellen's bisexuality and has promised that she will keep it a secret until Ellen felt that she was ready to come out to their parents. When asked when she plans on coming out to her parents, Ellen answered “Probably not till I’m in college.” Ellen proceeded to explain that she felt that she would rather wait until she was already on her own to come out rather than do so now because she doesn’t want to have to deal with questions and comments from her family. “I’ll probably just do it on the phone,” Ellen joked, that way I can just hang up as soon as I tell them!”

Like Ellen, Shane is also reluctant to come out to his family. “I really haven’t come out to that many people yet, only to my closest friends,” said Shane. Shane said that although he doubts that his parents would care, he doesn’t want to take that chance. Like Ellen, Shane will most likely wait until college to tell them as well.
Another issue that is prevalent in the LGBT community is the issue of homosexual education in schools. As of 2015, only nine out of the fifty states in the U.S have classes that teach students anything about homosexuality as part of their high school curriculum. “It’s like they just ignore us,” said Jacob. “They teach us about safe sex, but they never even mention having sex with someone of the same gender. It’s always between a boy and a girl. I just think that having a class that teaches students about what it is to be homosexual without arguing whether it’s right or wrong would be beneficial for everybody.”

However, when asked whether or not he thought health classes should teach about homosexual sex, he said that he doesn’t think there is a way to teach that. “All they can really teach you in health class is how to avoid STDs, HIV and pregnancy,” said Jacob. “Since homosexuals can’t reproduce, a lot of what they teach in health class about safe sex doesn’t really apply to us. Straight sex has more than one purpose, it can be about love, but it is also about reproducing. With gay sex it’s all about love and emotion,” Jacob continues. “They can teach us all about safe sex, but they can’t really teach us anything about emotions,” he concludes.

Tenth grade English teacher and head of the Gay-Straight Alliance Emily Reinert said that she feels that in order for people to truly understand homosexuality, schools need a homosexual education class. “What a lot of people don’t understand is that it’s not a choice,” Reinert explained,“The first step to acceptance is understanding,” she continues. Reinert said she first got involved with campaigning for LGBT rights after she read an article that showed that teenagers who are members of the LGBT community are more likely to commit suicide or use some form of self-destruction than teenagers who are not. “After I read that article, I knew something needed to be done, so I decided to form the GSA,” said Reinert.

The LGBT students and those who support them-have decided to speak out in the hopes that they’re input will help people strive to be more understanding-and ultimately more accepting.